But opposition candidates trying to loosen Mr. Abe’s grip on power say women—more than half of registered voters—can make the difference. Nearly half of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party’s 42 candidates are women, compared with 15% for Mr. Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party. “If the opposition parties do well this election running female candidates, the LDP may end up adopting a similar strategy in the future,” he said. Opposition candidates say it isn’t enough, pointing to some 20,000 children still stuck on waiting lists for day care. Photo: Constitutional Democratic Party of JapanPhoto: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg NewsMs. Mizuno, a single mother of two who works at Japan’s space agency, said having children hurt her career.

Source: Wall Street Journal July 15, 2019 09:32 UTC